


In the Throes of the Enemy

by animangod



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Serious Injuries, and there was one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animangod/pseuds/animangod
Summary: Kurogane and Fai have been enemies for years, but one night, Kurogane comes to Fai, needing help.
Relationships: Daidouji Tomoyo & Kurogane, Fay D. Fluorite & Kurogane
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (Inspired by Chai (proyearner) and Theo (dannysexbean) from Twitter.

It was late in the evening, and near the top of Fai's list of expected people who might show up at his doorstep looking for him, his common enemy was not even close. Kurogane - who had the  _ audacity _ to use his own name regardless - was so far removed from near the top that it took him a moment to realize this was indeed the real Kurogane and not some lookalike.

While he silently doubted there were any outside the man's immediate family, he'd intentionally made the simplest ruse, agreeing that yes he 'gets that a lot' when people compared his name or looks to Kurogane, just to hide he hadn’t felt like coming up with an alter name for himself. It was surprisingly effective.

And while there were no official rules between them for house calls, it was an unwritten rule that you just don't  _ go  _ to your enemy's home. Or their family's. Knowing was enough. The threat against one was a threat against the others and that kept things … semi professional when they fought against another out in public. However, it didn't take long for Fai to see just why that unwritten rule had been ignored.

A hand was pressed into a battered, bloody side while the other arm leaned on the doorframe, as though it was the main thing keeping him upright. From the porch light, he could see the early signs of swelling and what he was sure would develop into a black eye. His clothes were scuffed and disheveled. Overall, he looked like he had just recently gotten out of a fight where he either lost and or was at a severe disadvantage.

"Sorry," Kurogane murmured. "Didn't know anyone else 'round here."

Fai's eyes widened and he moved the door further open, in a gesture of hospitality. "Come in, come in."

As Kurogane moved from leaning against the doorframe, his remaining strength gave out, and he collided heavily into Fai, who braced him from falling further.

"Kurogane-!" Fai began to say only to feel the way his breathing grew shallow as though the strain to his body and the hit to his pride - going to his enemy for help - was a bit too much and he passed out. He hoped it wasn’t from anything more serious than the blood he’d already lost. Careful of the man's visible injuries, he brought him further inside, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Fai was no healer, not by any magical right, but he had learned a thing or two about medicine over the years and always kept a first aid kit handy and stocked at home. Okay - at least one, usually three and then a fourth one that normally had a bunch of odds and ends that  _ might _ turn out useful, depending on what the situation called for.

He set Kurogane on the kitchen table as a makeshift stretcher and quickly fetched the nearest kit. Returning, he checked he was still breathing and let out a soft sigh before putting on gloves and getting to work. 

It took time to take care of the worst off area - cutting away the ruined shirt, washing and then cleaning the site with disinfectant, applying gauze and pressure, and when the first gauze became soaked, adding another atop it.

Once it had clotted enough he could wrap it, he surveyed how bad the remaining damage was, and found himself relieved to see some of the wounds had clotted most of the way up by themselves. Others required more attention, cleaning and pressure to get under control, but he kept at it.

He occasionally moved his attention to check if Kurogane had woken up yet. While his face had twisted into a pained grimace, he continued to remain unconscious. He silently wondered how long he'd waited before bringing himself to knock on his door as there had already been blood pooling from standing on his doorstep.

When he finally finished dressing his wounds, he tossed away the empty wrappings and gauze that were soiled and set the rest on the counter for dealing with in the morning.

Rather than leave Kurogane to sleep the night there, Fai cleared a path as well as pulled his comforter and other blankets down towards the foot of the bed. He placed an older towel down to protect his mattress and bedsheets before he moved to carry him, gently bringing him from the table to his bedroom, and tucked him into his bed.

He searched for his baggiest shirt since the man had a larger build, finding instead one of his cozy and overstretched sweaters. He set it atop the blankets so he'd have something to wear in the morning.

Since he didn't have a second bed, he grabbed a throw pillow off the couch, setting it near the bed. He grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and tugged his faux fur rug closer to use as a makeshift bed for the night.

As long as he could focus, he kept an eye on Kurogane, making sure he was still asleep and breathing. He laid under his blanket and sat up every now and again before laying back down when he was assured he was still doing okay. As okay as he could be, considering.

* * *

Kurogane slowly blinked as morning light filtered through the bedroom curtains, leaving a warmth against his face. It took a long moment to open his eyes further, and a moment longer to remember why the ceiling looked wrong - that it wasn't his ceiling, and the memories of the night before slowly returned.

Sure, he had lost his fair share of battles but it had been a long time since he got so badly injured regardless of who he'd fought. While Fai was the person he fought against most, they had never seriously tried to finish off the other.

Speaking of Fai… it didn't escape his thoughts that he had staggered in the street after getting away in … mostly one piece. He'd rested in an alley, thinking as he felt the blood ooze against his fingers and realized just how close he was to the other's home. Fai wasn't his first choice, but he realized he was not his last either. Taking his chances with Fai was still better than bleeding to death in the alley.

Kurogane glanced around, taking inventory of his surroundings, noting the partially open closet, a dresser and some posters filled with images of fuzzy animals. As he pushed the comforter to the side, he could make out several gauze pads and bandages wrapped around his chest and a couple smaller ones on his arms. He thought he also saw a wisp of blond on the floor. Pushing himself closer to a sitting position, his mouth felt dry and he swallowed the growing lump. There, tucked on the floor was Fai, as though he'd been there all night.

Seeing as he was still asleep, he tried scooting so as not to wake him. Unfortunately, that movement pulled too much against his healing side and he couldn’t stop the pained hiss from escaping. On top of that, the spring mattress let out noises as it shifted beneath him. He stopped moving, holding his breath even as he heard shuffling, before one very bedhead of blond hair peeked up from the floor, sleep lines on his cheek.

Fai blinked, seeing Kurogane sitting up and it took two yawns and a stretch before he actually spoke, "Oh good, yer awake. Are you hungry? I can make breakfast."

Kurogane stared like Fai had spoken a different language, before he finally got out, "What?"

"Breakfast. I'll cook," Fai repeated.

* * *

Kurogane sat at the table, quietly munching on the plate of pancakes Fai had set in front of him as Fai sat across, drinking a cup of sugar-laced coffee and eating his own pancakes. As with his coffee, it had been sweetened further, Fai having slathered a fancy fruity syrup that definitely contained more sweetness than the pancakes they buried.

There was little said over breakfast, the most common sounds being the soft tick of the kitchen clock and silverware clinking against the plates, cutting and grabbing bites of pancakes. When the food was gone, Fai stood up to gather the dishes.

“I should…” Kurogane began, clearing his throat.

“Hm?” Fai hummed, grabbing Kurogane’s plate.

“I should get out of your hair,” Kurogane murmured awkwardly.

“It's fine; rest a while.”

"You’ve done more than -” Kurogane began.

“ _ Really _ Kurogane?” Fai interjected, “After all the times we fought,  _ that’s  _ how you want to kick the bucket? By tripping over a curb on your way back home? You’re hardly in any shape to be heading anywhere besides back to bed."

Kurogane let out a tsk at that. Sure, he knew he wasn’t in  _ great  _ shape, but he didn’t think he was currently in  _ that  _ bad shape.

“Stay. I’ll draw you a bath and afterwards, we’ll get fresh bandages on those injuries.”

Kurogane stared dumbfounded, caught by surprise at the continued hospitality, not used to it from anyone outside his family but especially from his common enemy.

Fai set the dishes in the sink to wash in a little bit. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression you would have done the same if our positions had been reversed."

Kurogane slowly felt the tug of a smirk. Maybe a retort wasn't necessary - it didn't feel like he had to, that somehow Fai would understand even if he said nothing. Fai seemed rather good at hearing words left unsaid. Still, he found himself replying, "Like hell I'd make you pancakes.. it'd be soup for you."

There was a small twinkle in Fai's eye as he turned around to face Kurogane, "I'll remember that."


	2. Chapter 2

Fai questioned if he should be doing this. Kurogane had left his place a week ago, and since then, he thought he'd seen the man once. With how much he needed to heal, he hoped that meant he was actually doing that instead of getting into any more fights. Still, he couldn't help feeling like the *right* thing to do was check in on him, at least long enough to give him the shirt he bought to replace the one he finished destroying. And the first aid kit he got for him - just in case he needed new supplies.

Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the front door and knocked. He waited, silently rocking on his heels as he held the bag with the gifts. It was quiet, and he began to wonder if he was out or asleep when the door slowly opened.

Rather than Kurogane, a lady answered. "Evening," she greeted sweetly.

"Good evening," Fai returned the greeting, "I hope I'm at the correct residence. I was looking for Kurogane. I came to replace something of his."

He jiggled the bag for a little extra emphasis.

She nodded, "It is. Why don't you come in and I'll get my boy."

"Are you sure he won't mind?" Fai asked. He assumed by the comment this was his mother.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate a short break from entertaining the girls," she said warmly before leaving the door open for Fai as she walked further inside.

He stepped inside and softly closed the door, standing in the entryway. There was a small pile of shoes there and he quietly looked around as the lady had wandered off. From the structure, it looked like it had to be at least a two bed, one bath on that floor.

The main room could hardly count as decorated. It had different seats available and a low table. There was a plant sitting atop a cherry wood cabinet, and that was it.

From their battles, the last thing he expected Kurogane's home to look like was some earth-toned minimalist. Even after seeing the main room, there was that part that doubted this is what the rest of his place looked like.

Maybe it, like other facets of the man, was just a facade. A wall for others to see to hide what he kept closest to his heart.

"You don't look like you need  _ soup _ ," Kurogane commented.

"Yes well, I thought I owed you a new shirt after-," Fai began turning to look at where he heard him and stopped mid sentence

"What?" Kurogane asked nonchalantly, as though his face  _ wasn't _ half covered in bandaids from larger ones with teddy bears, to the smaller ones with puppies and kittens.

Fai stared, seeing that someone had sharpied words on his arms, each in a different brightly pastel color. While he leaned against a wall, he looked like 'entertaining the girls' meant he had just escaped having been used as a live mannequin - gym shorts and a muscle tee beneath different pinned up fabrics, hundreds of pins holding the fabric in place - after they had done his nails.

"What?" Kurogane repeated, raising a brow - as well as one can with so many bandaids there.

"I was saying -" Fai began, clearing his throat, "I owed you a shirt. I also brought a first aid kit, in case you needed to freshen up your supplies. Considering all the ones on you, I suppose it's good thing I did."

"Mm. Pretty sure there's no bruise left but the girls insisted," Kurogane murmured.

"Awh~ sounds like they love you~♡" Fai said with a cheery smile.

Kurogane let out a tsk, and as his cheeks and ears felt warm, he silently hoped the bandages hid it well enough. 

"Anyway," he started, "you didn't have to get a new one. It woulda been nothing more than table scraps for the girls to play with."

"Even so," Fai said trying not to stare, which finding a needle in a haystack would have been easier, "since I was responsible for finishing it off, I got you a new one. Keep it, discard it or turn it to table scraps for the girls, it's up to you."

"Hm." He walked over to accept the bag. "Spose I havta thank you somehow."

"You don't need to," Fai smiled, clasping his hands behind his back. "Seems at least this week you've been recovering. Soon enough, you'll be back to your usual self."

"More or less." Kurogane quietly murmured, "The girls have their own ideas about what counts as recovering."

About then, Kurogane's mother returned followed by four girls - all wore big smiles and looked no older than ten.

"Will you be joining us for dinner?" She spoke softly.

"Ah! I hadn't even realized it was that time," Fai said, "I should-"

"Stay," Kurogane interjected, catching Fai by surprise. "He's staying for dinner, Mother."

Fai opened his mouth as he looked at Kurogane questioningly, wondering what he was trying to pull, but looking over at the lady - the man's mother - she seemed so happy and relieved to hear that. Swallowing his doubts about the man's motives, he smiled at her.

"That is, if you have the room," Fai said politely.

"Of course. I'll prepare a plate for you as well," she said warmly. "Cmon girls. Let's set the table."

They nodded and agreed cheerfully, continuing to tag along beside her. One softly giggled to herself.

It was enough cue Kurogane replied without even turning to look at her, "Don't get any ideas, Tomoyo."

She let out a soft gasp, "Don't be so mean to me. Of course I'm going to get ideas when you _finally_ bring someone home."

Kurogane rolled his eyes at that.

" _Finally_ , huh?" Fai asked, looking at Kurogane somewhere between curiously and cheekily.

"Don't you be giving her ideas, either, or you'll never hear the end of it." Kurogane returned his attention to Fai, "Since you're sticking around for dinner, take your shoes off already and get comfortable. I'm gonna go send the shirt you got to the washroom."

Fai stood there, not entirely sure what just conspired, but it sounded like he was definitely getting a free meal for hanging around his usual enemy's family longer.

* * *

"Your family seems rather kind," Fai commented as Kurogane walked him out after dinner. "You almost don't even need words to understand one another."

"Hn." It was a grunt of acknowledgement since more times than not, they could communicate mostly nonverbally with a comment such as don't look at me in that tone of voice thrown in there.

"So… was I really the first you invited inside your house?"

"No - Mother invited you in," Kurogane retorted.

"Fair enough," Fai hummed. "Still would I have been the first?"

"Currently? Still haven't…"

"No one? Not even a friend or a repairman?"

Kurogane shrugged, "Haven't had one."

"Which - a friend or a repairman?"

Kurogane didn't reply because, excluding his family, he felt the truth was both which is why his mother had been so relieved when Kurogane volunteered Fai to eat with them.

"That's kinda… sad."

As much as that hurt him to hear, left his stomach feeling like he swallowed spoiled food, he refused to let the emotion leak into his voice. "Shut up or I'll kick your ass."

Fai patted Kurogane on the back, "Wait till you aren't covered in booboo bandaids. Be kinda a boring fight if I kicked your ass too quickly because you forgot to finish healing."

"You are so gonna pay for that when I see you next."

Fai laughed and sent a playful wink. "Right, right… well give your mother my thanks again. The food was quite yummy."

Fai walked away and Kurogane stood, watching that he made it past his street, before returning inside.

"You didn't walk him home?" Tomoyo asked when he came back inside.

He lightly ruffled her hair, "No. Did you want to pick up where you girls left off?"

She was quiet before shaking her head, "It's okay, I know you don't feel well anymore."

Sometimes, her intuition and maturity surprised him and that surprise briefly flickered on his face before being smothered out with fondness for her.

"Fine - then how about I do your hair?" He suggested. 

Knowing that it often helped him relax, she smiled a little brighter, "Okay!"

Meanwhile, when Fai arrived back home, he called his brother to tell him the news. "Yuui~~♡ You won't believe what happened to me today…!"

**Author's Note:**

> As soon as more inspiration hits, I'll continue the fic, but for now, calling it done.


End file.
